ANTI-AGING. Aloe vera oil.

Transcription

1 ANTI-AGING Aloe vera oil

2 Aloe vera Oil BOTANY The genus Aloe, belonging to the family Asphodelaceae (formerly Liliaceae), comprises more than 350 species, which grow mainly in the semi-arid areas of the tropical and subtropical regions of Sudan and southern Africa. These are xerophilous succulent plants, with fleshy, elongated, sharp-pointed leaves, whose margins are generally covered by thorns. Leaves are arranged in a rosette, basal for some species, or atop a long stem, with a tree-like aspect, for others. Aloe vera, whose botanical name is Aloe barbadensis Miller (=Aloe vera L. non Miller), is one of the best-known species of this genus. Aloe vera oil is an oily extract from Aloe barbadensis leaves. V03-03/ ,

3 CHEMISTRY Aloe leaves are the source of two different products: aloe gel and aloe juice, also called aloe latex. Aloe latex is the dried juice of leaves, a solid substance, dark brown or black coloured, with a bitter taste and a characteristic unpleasant smell. Aloe latex is extracted from the juice that oozes out of slits made on fresh leaves of A. barbadensis and A. ferox. Aloe gel is the clear mucilage extracted only from the pulp of A. Barbadensis leaves. Its main compounds are polysaccharides with different proportions of mannose, glucose and galactose. Especially important among the polysaccharides are: acemannan, a mixture of complex polysaccharides of the -(1-4)-mannan O-acetylated type, and aloeride, high molecular weight polysaccharides. Other, less abundant components are: amino acids, glycoproteins, enzymes, hydroxy-anthracene heterosides, chromone and pyrone derivatives, saponines, sterols, organic acids, organic salts, inorganic salts and vitamins. A study by Waller, G.R. et al. (1978) demonstrated that the juice extracted from aloe leaves contains sterols, such as campesterol and -sitosterol, and that is most important triterpene is lupeol. TRADITIONAL USES Plants of the genus Aloe have been used in the folk medicine of different countries since the ancient times. Many ancient civilizations (China, India, Egypt, Assyria, Rome, Greece) have used different products from Aloe sp. to treat sinusitis, gingivitis, fever, convulsions, etc. At present, only a few Aloe species are commercially important due to their medicinal applications. The most important ones are Aloe ferox Miller, also known as Cape Aloe, cultivated in the east and south of Africa, and Aloe barbadensis Miller (=Aloe vera L. non Miller), also called Curaçao aloe, native to Barbados and cultivated in many regions of America and other warm climate countries. Aloe gel has been long used as a folk treatment for skin burns, wounds and other skin conditions. V03-03/ ,

4 COSMETIC PROPERTIES Aloe is a common ingredient of many cosmetic products, due to its moisturizing and emollient properties, as well as, to its anti-aging actions on skin. Aloe oil has a characteristic antioxidant activity and is therefore adequate for anti-ageing treatments or for sensitive skin products. Aloe oil has characteristic anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Its anti-inflammatory activity is due to the presence of chromones (Hutter, J.A. et al, 1996) and sterols, which inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandin and reduce migration and filtration of leucocytes and glycoproteins. Additionally, antioxidant compounds in the phenolic fraction contribute to moderate inflammation by reducing the oxidative and damaging effects of inflammation mediating substances on the injured tissues. Lee, K.Y. et al. (2000) identified and isolated a phenolic compound in aloe, whose antioxidant activity was similar to that of - tocopherol. It has been extensively reported that sterols are beneficial to treat conditions affecting the connective tissues and to heal skin injuries, due to their capacity of increasing collagen biosynthesis. Consequently, they exert beneficial actions on aged skin, skin damaged by environmental factors and skin suffering desquamation. RECOMMENDED DOSE The recommended dose is between 0.5 5%. BIBLIOGRAPHY Cañigueral, S., Vila, R. Aloe. British J Phytother., 1993; 3: V03-03/ ,

5 Hutter, J.A., Salman, M., Stavinoha, W.B., Satsangi, N., Williams, R.F., Streeper, R.T., Weintraub, S.T. Antiinflammatory C-glucosyl chromone from Aloe barbandesis. J Nat Prod., 1996; 59 (5): Lee, K.Y., Weintraub, S.T., Yu, B.P. Isolation and identification of a phenolic antioxidant from Aloe barbadensis. Free Radic Biol Med., 2000; 28 (2): Pugh, N., Ross, S.A., El Sohly, M.A., Pasco, D.S. Characterization of aloeride, a new high-molecular weight polysaccharide from Aloe vera with potent immunostimulatory activity. J Agric Food Chem., 2001; 49: Reynolds, T., Dweck, A.C. Aloe vera leaf gel: a review update. J Ethnopharmacol., 1999; 68: Vila, R., Guinea, M. Gel de aloe. Revista de Fitoterapia, 2001; 1: Waller, G.R., Mangiafico, S., Ritchey, C.R. A chemical investigation of Aloe barbadensis Miller. Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. 1978; 58: Webs: V03-03/ ,

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